I have seen rain this week, every day, off and on, all day long. My husband is grumpy, the dogs are grumpy and I am getting gardening stir crazy. But, the Firebush is very happy and flowering magnificently.
If anyone remembers James Taylor’s song Fire and Rain here’s a link, before you click on the link realize there is always advertising and I had nothing to do with it: James Taylor.
I decided a vintage copper teapot filled with warm colored flowers was necessary to lift my dreary spirits. After trimming some fiery flowers, I donned my red plastic raincoat and headed into the garden to see what I could find to join the Firebush. My greyhounds declined the offer to join me and sulked in their (sort of) dry beds.
My neighbor’s Mexican Flame Vine (Senecio confusus) long ago left its bounds and was hanging down over a hedge that grows between us. Beaten down from all the rain (myself, my husband,my dogs and the Mexican Flame Vine) I cut a few stems to drape over the side of the teapot. Then I discovered some Tropical Red Sage flowers (Salvia coccinea) for the back of the arrangement; added some Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis); and found a few Parrotflowers (Heliconia psittacorum). I have been missing the Parrotflowers. Hurricane Irma followed by a mid thirties temperature in January nearly did them in. The few I found are about half the size they were last year. The flowers and foliage from the flourishing Firebush (Hamelia patens var patens) filled the framework of the flower arrangement. Say that 10 times fast.
Here is a close up of the flowers:
It is raining again. The good news is the Frangipani loves it and I have my first blooms this year.
Happy Gardening!
The Shrub Queen 
Your warm sunny vase filled me with joyfulness. It has been raining every day here too, deluges of rain! The large teapot is a really fun container.
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Fabulous arrangement. The design is great and the teapot is the perfect container. We had a rainy week also but forecasts are looking drier (and much hotter).
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A beautiful arrangement with many flowers I can grow here. I haven’t grown the Mexican Flame Vine for awhile and now I feel like I need one. Unbelievably, after our 50 inches of rain last summer, they are talking drought here. We finally got a storm last night.
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Sorry that your weather and spirits are a bit soggy at the moment. This sunny and warm arrangement certainly lifted my mood this morning. Beautiful as always!
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We have more rain here. I guess I’ll have to play with my dolls again today. Ha!
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Love your fiery flowers in that warm copper tea pot and frangipani looks beautiful!
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I love your copper kettle – it has such a warm patina. And I love your selection of fiery flowers. We are all soft blues, pinks and purples at this time of year, and I associate flame colours with late summer, so it makes a lovely contrast.
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Thank you, soft pastels are not common in Florida, which kind of intrigues me. Is it the pollinators or what? I have grown to love the hot colors, but still love your spring pastels.
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What a great warming display.
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Thank you, hopefully drying as well.
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Love that kettle and you graced it beautifully with all those amazing flowers….I especially loved your neighbor’s Mexican Flame Vine….how lucky to have it visit your garden!
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Thank you, not so sure about the vine, kind of everywhere.
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I know too much of anything gets old but I envy you your rain nonetheless. We got some “May gray” drizzle here this morning and a total of 0.01/inch of rain but even that lightened my heart. Your vase is joyous mix and I love the Plumeria too. Does Plumeria do well in a vase? I’ve tried to grow it here but gave up after killing my second plant.
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I would gladly send rain some your way, it was really too dry and now the opposite. Plumeria is one of those things it is easy to overwater. It does not last very long in a vase, but I enjoy it so much it is worth it.l
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Beautiful flowers. I went outside and wrote down this comment; I just don’t know who to send it to
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Thank you. Loved that.
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Ah well, no rain no gain, as they (possibly) say. At least your flowers are happy! And I just love that teapot…
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Thanks the teapot is a favorite of mine.
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Frangipani? That sounds like Italian candy. I think of it as plumeria. I prune several in Los Angeles, but I leave all the cuttings there. They are not happy here.
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Tony. Are you kidding me. Frangipani is Plumeria and people grow it as a summer annual all over the South saving roots and stems in pots and garages especially in New Orleans to Houston and Charleston…
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Oh, yes, I know it is frangapani. We just do not call it that. My colleague has several large trees of it. The common white one with the yellow center is a full sized shade tree. They all have their distinct personalities, and the others do not get so big. He might have about 14 cultivars, but I do not remember. My favorite white one has only a few limbs and looks ridiculous. I wish it would branch more so I could get more cuttings. I do not grow them here because the do not like the frost, even though we do not get hard frost.
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Days of rain can be so depressing. We are sunshine people, I think! Can you imagine living in a place that gets rain all the time like the PNW? Not me!
I noticed the parrotflower right away – such a beauty, glad it is recovering. I love the copper kettle and it looks great with your arrangement – the perfect remedy for a cloudy day. I’m looking forward to the possibility of meeting frangipani face to face. 🙂
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PNW Pacific Northwest, Papua New Guinea? I have been puzzling over that. The clouds cleared here and everyone is shaking off the darkness.I am wondering about the Parrotflowers and plan to unearth them from the gloom to see if they will rebound.
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Yes, Pacific Northwest. 🙂
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Perhaps May showers bring June flowers, too! I LOVE that vintage copper teapot. Your arrangement is indeed very cheery for cloudy day. It’s a rainy day here in Alabama, as well, but we need it.
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Thanks, Terri. All showers bring flowers – just trying to focus on that and not the weeds.
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That is a nice was to bring a little sunshine into the house. You would think we lived in the Northwest instead of the Southeast part of our country.
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Really, need some Nirvana and organic shellfish!
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Just what you need to cheer you up on a rainy day! Is this rainy period unusual for this time of year? At least the garden is enjoying it. Hope you get some sunshine again soon!
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It is a bit early for innundation! And the garden did enjoy it. Me, not so much.
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I am impressed what a stunning arrangement. It looks superb in the copper kettle. I have to cherish Senecio confusus in the greenhouse here and it can’t bring itself to bloom very often. Well this is a role reversal, lovely days of warm sunshine here and rain in Florida.
Oh and a bloom on your frangipani, how wonderful, I wish I could sniff it.
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Liz, Thank you, the Senecio is rambling through the hedges, messy, but the butterflies are spectacular. The sun finally came out today, we are probably enjoying our last days of temperate weather.
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Both your arrangement and the copper kettle are magnificent!
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Beautiful, as always! Love that copper kettle?
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(that question mark was supposed to be an exclamation point!) 😁
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Hey Benjamin, thanks.How are the tomatoes?
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